A franchise should always deserve praise for trying new things, keeping the level of quality consistent across films and attempting to expand the wider story. Playing the prequel card is a divisive one when looking to tick those boxes but it’s something A Quiet Place: Day One pulls off with aplomb. Whilst it’s a shame to delay the resolution to the story after Part II, reverting back to the first day of the disaster enables an entirely different formula and a fresh approach t

Pixar’s imagination continues to know no bounds and Inside Out 2 gives us their best sequel since the Toy Story franchise. After a recent run of movies that, perhaps, haven’t been as talked about as they should have been (from Onward to Elemental) this feels like a sure-fire critical and commercial banker. In my estimation, the first Inside Out actually comes out right at the top of Pixar’s luminous and esteemed catalogue and, whilst this film doesn’t quite top the first one,

As much as any additional information on the inhabitants of the Wasteland in Mad Max: Fury Road was something that would be hugely welcomed, following up that absolute masterpiece of a film was a daunting undertaking, to say the least. Incredibly, George Miller’s prequel: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga lives up to its predecessor and can boldly stand alongside it. You’ll find some (myself included) who hold the opinion that Fury Road is a contender for the greatest action film of al

IF, like The Fall Guy before it, is delightfully old-skool. Unfortunately, like The Fall Guy before it, I feel this isn’t something that modern audiences want. It’s strange, as both films feel relatively fresh in an over-saturated current climate. IF is a family/kids film like they don’t make anymore. An Amblin-esque, sedately-paced, 90’s-feeling film with John Krasinski behind the camera. It stands out for reasons both good and ill. The style, maturity, pace, tone and design

I’m not too sure I can think of a franchise, superheroes exempt, that has ‘rebooted’ for the third (arguably fourth time if you count the Tim Burton remake) and kept the quality this consistent. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is another in a growing line of quality movies in this series. This is the first of a new trilogy set after the events of Rise/Dawn/War and, supposedly, leading up to the events of the 1968 original. The aforementioned were perfect examples of how to

The Fall Guy has brought the fact that stunt performers are not afforded Oscars recognition by having their own award into light and may just bring about a pretty significant industry change. That just in itself would be enough of an offering but the fact that the film is also an absolutely solid action/comedy summer blockbuster is a bonus. The sort of film just not really prevalent enough this follows in the path of Argylle, Bullet Train, The Lost City et al. as a thoroughly

Apparently, it seems a requirement to star in a tennis movie after playing the key love interest role in a Spider-Man franchise. Strange, coincidental jokes aside, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers isn’t really a tennis movie at all, despite featuring an awful lot of the sport. Instead, the game is merely a conduit in which to channel the trauma, aggression, obsession and competition of a decade-long tryst. Two young tennis prodigies Art and Patrick obsess over Tashi, seemingly t

The life of Amy Winehouse has enough depth to fill a TV series. From her sheer talent, pioneering style and success based on songs that felt like pieces of her soul, to the London culture of the noughties and press and public scrutiny that hounded her until her untimely death. The negative reviews and criticism of the biopic Back to Black have brought back a little reminder of that horrible time in the media and brings to light questions of how much things have really changed

Debating what Alex Garland’s best project is has just got a whole lot harder. The much-talked-about and hyped Civil War breaks the doors down to take a seat at the top table of not just Garland’s stacked oeuvre, and not just 2024’s even more stacked year to date, but possibly even beyond that. It’s important to note that the amount of chatter about the film and the marketing campaign may be setting you up for something that it is not. This is not the next action blockbuster f

It’s a satisfying moment where the cultural significance and influence of a film or series is realised in real time. It doesn’t happen to a lot of modern films as so much has been done before but, after a watch of Dev Patel’s Monkey Man, it’s clear that the John Wick franchise has cemented itself as an influential and important pillar of action cinema (with a mention, as well, to The Raid, 3 years the senior.) Monkey Man is no mere pastiche or homage to these modern touchston

The Book of Clarence isn’t quite what you may expect with this subject matter and with LaKeith Stansfield in the title role. Of course, directors are usually those who have a set ‘style’ and actors are largely known for their versatility (indeed, Stansfield has performed brilliantly within lots of genres) but, given the film’s marketing and his predilection for particularly prescient, intelligent and insightful projects like Get Out, Sorry to Bother You, Judas and the Black M

The ‘sequel to the reboot’ has become it’s own bonafide subgenre in recent times and is an unfortunate example of studio apprehension and diminishing returns for franchise blockbuster filming. There’s been a few decent examples but, quite often, these are cynical cash-grabs trying to push more nostalgia and familiarity onto families who’ve got to fork out a fair amount to venture into the cinema. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the most recent entrant into this most peculiar o